Floating operator for variable speed drives



Aug. 10, 1937. P. B. REEVES 2,089,711

FLOATING OPERATOR FOR VARIABLE SPEED DRIVES I Filed March 16, 1956 F I. a A 0 7 47 a 54 5 z 4O 5:

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ATTORNEYS- Patented Aug. 10, 1937 FLOATING OPERATOR FOR VARIABLE SPEED DRIVES Paul B. Reeves, Columbus, Ind., assignor to Reeves Pulley Company, Columbus, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application March 16, 1936, Serial No. 69,114

12 Claims.

The present invention relates to a floating operator for a variable speed drive, and more particularly to operating means for the positively shiftable disc of an expansible V-pulley drive, in which one of the V-pulleys is resiliently expansible.

A primary object of the invention is to provide for limited universal relative movement between the shiftable disc and a stationary element of the operating means. A further object of the invention is to provide, in an organization of the character described, a unit consisting of an operating screw, a disc to form a part of an expansible V-pulley, and means connecting said disc to said screw, but of such character as to permit limited relative universal movement of said disc with respect to said screw. Further objects'of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, my invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawing, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawing is illustrative only, and that change may be made in the specificconstruction illustrated and described so long as the scope of the appended claims is not violated.

Fig. 1 is a sectional view through a variable speed drive constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a section, slightly enlarged and taken upon a plane parallel to the plane of Fig. 1, and showing details of the operating structure; and Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken substantially upon the line 33 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, it will be seen that I have illustrated a housing It) formed with substantially aligned openings H and I2 in opposite walls thereof. Said housing is further formed with openings l3 and M, which are also substantially aligned. The opening I3 is closed by a bearing l5 and a stuffing box l5 in which is journalled one end of a shaft Hi, the opposite end of said shaft being journalled in a bearing I! carried by a cover plate l8 which closes the opening M. A coned disc I9 is fixed on said shaft l6 within said housing, and is formed with an elongated hub 20 projecting from its coned face. A second coned disc 2| is splined, in facing relation to the disc I9, upon the hub 20, .and a coiled spring 22 is sleeved over the hub of said disc 2| and bears at one end against said disc 2| and at its opposite end against an adjustable abutment 23 carried on the projecting hub 20 of the disc l9. It will be seen that the spring 22 constantly urges the disc 2| toward the disc l9.

A motor 24 is secured, by machine screws 25 or the like, to that wall of the housing in which the opening II is formed, and closes said opening. The short spindle 26 of said motor is thus projected through the opening II and is disposed within the housing l0. Upon said spindle is fixed a coned disc 21, offset and oppositely facing with respect to the disc I9. Said disc 21 is provided with an elongated hub 28 which projects from the coned face of said disc beyond the end of the spindle 26.

A cover plate 29 is adapted to close the opening I2 in the housing In, and is formed with'a boss 30 in which is journalled a screw shaft 3|, said screw shaft carrying a hand wheel 32 engaging the outer end of the boss 30, and said shaft further being provided with a shoulder or collar 33 engaging an inner surface of the boss 30, whereby said screw shaft is held against axial movement with respect to the cover plate 29.

A nut 34 is threadedly mounted on the screw shaft 3|, and arms 35, either integral with, or attached to, said nut project inwardly beyond said nut as a yoke, said arms terminating in eyes 36.

Said respective eyes 36 receive trunnions 31 projecting, upon a horizontal diameter, from the external surface of an equalizer ring 38. Upon a substantially vertical diameter, and in the plane with the trunnions 37, said equalizer ring 38 is provided with apertures receiving trunnions or pins 40 projecting from the outer surface of one element 39 of a bearing housing, the other element 4! of which is suitably secured to said element 39 to close, and clamp in place, the outer race 420i an antifriction bearing 43. Thus the bearing housing is fioatinglv supported by the equalizer ring 38. The inner race 44 of said bearing is sleeved upon the'hub 46 of a coned disc 41, being held in place. thereon between a shoulder formed on said hub and a clamp nut 48 threaded on to said hub.

It will be seen that this arrangement supports the disc 41 upon the screw shaft 3|, through the nut 34, its yoke arms 35, and the equalizer ring and bearing housing, said equalizer ring and bearing housing connecting said disc to said yoke arms through the medium of two pivotal axes which lie in a common plane, and which are perpendicular to each other and to the axis of the disc 41.

A pair of pins 62, only one of which is shown in the drawing, are rigidly carried in the boss 30,

and are slidably received in bosses 63 on the respective yoke arms 35 to prevent rotation of the nut 34 and associated elements.

5 It will be seen that, when the cover plate 29 is put in place, the disc 31, which is carried on said cover plate, may be slipped into place on the projecting hub 28 of the disc 21 and suitable keying means is provided for splining said disc 41 on said hub 28. Rotation of the hand wheel 32, after such assembly, will shift the disc 57 toward or away from the disc 27, depending upon the direction in which the wheel is rotated.

A stop element 69 is adjustably positioned on the screw shaft 3|, and is adapted to be secured in place thereon so that said stop element will rotate with said screw shaft. Said stop element is provided with a plurality of teeth 50 which, when the screw shaft is rotated in a direction to cause the nut 34 to move toward said stop element, will engage corresponding teeth located substantially upon a horizontal diameter of said nut, to stop further rotation of the shaft 3| before such engagement of the nut 34 with the stop element 49 occurs as might cause jamming of said nut upon the threads of the shaft 3|. A similar stop element 5i is positioned on the screw shaft 3|, and is provided with similar teeth 52 adapted to engage teeth on the nut 34 to stop movement of said nut toward the right, as viewed in Fig. 2.

The nut 34 carries an upstanding post 53 upon which is adjustably mounted a block 54 which carries adjustably a finger 55 adapted to engage an arm 56 pivotally mounted at 51 upon the outer surface of the cover plate 29. Said arm 55 is enclosed in a casing 58 secured to said plate 29, and said case carries a radiused index plate 59 over which sweeps an indicating finger 60 carried at the outer end of the arm 56. Obviously, the position of the disc 4'! will be indicated by the position of the finger 60. As obviously, the degree of movement of the finger 60 in response to a given degree of movement of the disc 41 may be varied by shifting the block 54 upwardly or downwardly upon the rod 53.

I do not claim to have disclosed, for the first time in this application, an organization consisting of a shaft, an expansible V-pulley mounted upon said shaft, said shaft being journalled in a housing into which projects a motor spindle, a coned disc fixed on said motor spindle, a second coned disc splined on a projecting hub of said disc, and operating means for said splined disc so carried upon a cover plate for an opening in the housing, and so connected to the splined disc that, upon removal of the cover plate, the operating means and the splined disc are automatically withdrawn from the housing. But in all such organizations heretofore known to me, there has been some sort of rigid connection between the operating means and the splined disc. As a result, the slightest misalignment of the operating means with respect to the motor spindle has resulted in excessive friction in the thrust bearing associated with the splined disc, and consequently has caused an excessive production of heat and wear upon the parts. I do claim that I have disclosed in the present application, for the first time, an organization of the character above described in which the connection between the operating means carried by the cover plate and the disc operated thereby, is'of such character as to permit limited universal movement of the disc with respect to the operating means. In other words, I have illustrated herein an organization in which, if the screw shaft 3| is slightly misaligned with respect to the spindle 26, the resultant movement of the disc 41 and the bearing 43, eccentric to the axis of the screw shaft, results merely in oscillation of the trunnions 31 and G0, without causing excessive friction or wear in the bearing 43.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the class described, a shaft, a coned disc fixed on said shaft, a second coned disc coaxial with said first disc and axially movable with respect thereto, said two discs cooperating to provide an expansible V-pulley, and means for shifting said second disc comprising an element held against all movement except rotation about its own axis and means providing an operative connection between said second disc and said element and movable, in response to movements of said disc eccentric to the axis of said element, to relieve strains between said disc and said element.

2. In a device of the class described, a shaft, a coned disc fixed on said shaft, a second coned disc coaxial with said first disc and axially movable with respect thereto, said two discs cooperating to provide an expansible V-pulley, a thrust bearing axially fixed with respect to said second disc, screw means, and means connecting said screw means to shift said bearing axially and providing for limited universal movement between said bearing and said screw means.

3. In a device of the class described, a shaft, a coned disc fixed on said shaft, a second coned disc coaxial with said first disc and axially movable with respect thereto, said two discs cooperating to provide an expansible V-pulley, a thrust bearing axially fixed with respect to said second disc, a screw shaft held against movement other than rotation about its own axis, and means operatively connecting said screw shaft to said bearing and providing for limited universal movement of said bearing with respect to said screw shaft.

4. In a device of the class described, a shaft, a coned disc fixed on said shaft, a second coned disc coaxial with said first disc and axially movable with respect thereto, said two discs cooperating to provide an expansible V-pulley, a thrust bearing axially fixed with respect to said second disc, a screw shaft held against movement other than rotation about its own axis, an element pivotally associated with said bearing upon an axis perpendicular to the axis of said bearing, and a member, threadedly associated with said screw shaft and pivotally connected to said element upon an axis perpendicular to the axis of said bearing and to the pivotal axis of said element.

5. In a device of the class described, a shaft, a

coned disc fixed on said shaft, a second coned disc coaxial with said first disc and axially movable with respect thereto, said two discs cooperating to provide an expansible V-pulley, a thrust bearing having its inner race axially fixed with respect to said second disc, a bearing casing for said thrust bearing embracing the outer race of said bearing and .axially fixed with respect thereto, an equalizer ring pivotally mounted on said casing upon an axis perpendicular to the axis of said bearing, a screw shaft, a nut mounted thereon and carrying a yoke, and means pivotally connecting the arms of.said yoke at diametrically opposite points upon said equalizer ring, upon an axis perpendicular to the axis of said bearing and to the pivotal axis of said ring.

6. In a device of the class described, a housing,

a shaft in said housing and supported by a wall thereof, a screw shaft journalled in an opposite wall of said housing, a pair of coned discs coaxially carried by said shaft and cooperating to form an expansible V-pulle'y, one of said discs being axially shiftable, and means providing an operative connection between said screw shaft and shiftable disc and providing for limited movement of said disc eccentric to the axis of said screw shaft.

7. In a device of the class described, a housing, a shaft in said housing and supported by a wall thereof, a screw shaft journalled in an opposite wall of said housing, a coned disc fixed on said shaft and having an elongated hub projecting from the coned face of said disc and beyond the end of said shaft, a second coned disc splined on said hub in facing relation to said first disc, and means providing an operative connection 0 between said screw shaft and said second disc and providing for limited movement of said second disc eccentric to the axis of said screw shaft. 8. In a device of the class described, a housing having substantially aligned openings in two op- 25 posite walls thereof, a motor secured to one of said walls and closing the opening therein, said motor having a spindle projecting through said opening into said housing, a cover plate secured to the other of said walls and closing the open- 30 ing therein, a screw shaft journalled in said cover plate in substantial alignment with said motor spindle and held against reciprocation with respect to said cover plate, means outside said cover plate for rotating said screw shaft, 9. coned disc fixed on said spindle with' its coned face facing away from said motor, a second coned disc, a nut threadedly mounted on said screw shaft, means, including an element carried by said nut upon a pivotal axis perpendicular to the axis of said nut and a member carried by said element upon a pivotal axis lying in the plane of said first-mentioned pivotal axis but perpendicular thereto, for connecting said second disc to said nut, and means on said first and second discs coacting to hold said second disc rigidly in coaxial facing relation to said first disc.

9. In a device of the class described, a housing having substantially aligned openings in two opposite walls thereof, a motor secured to one of said walls and closing the opening therein, said motor having a spindle projecting through said opening into said housing, a cover plate secured to the other of said walls and closing the opening therein, a screw shaft journalled in said cover plate in substantial alignment with said motor spindle and held against reciprocation with respect to said cover plate, means outside said cover plate for rotating said screw shaft, a coned disc fixed on said spindle and having an elongated hub projecting from its coned face, a second coned disc splined on said hub in facing relation to said first disc, a thrust bearing axially fixed with respect to said second disc, a nut threadedly mounted on said screw shaft, and means including two elements oscillable about axes perpendicular to the axis of said bearing and to each other, providing a connection between said bearing and said nut preventing relative axial movement therebetween.

, 10. In a device of the class described, a housing having substantially aligned openings in two opposite walls thereof, a motor secured to one of said walls and closing the opening therein, said motor having a spindle projecting through said opening into said housing, a coned disc fixed on said spindle and facing the opening in the other wall, and a unit comprising a cover plate for said lastnamed opening, a screw shaft rotatably but nonreciprocably mounted in said plate and provided with an operating handle adjacent the outer side of said plate, a nut threadedly mounted on said screw shaft adjacent the inner side of said plate, a thrust bearing, means mounting said thrust bearing upon said nut but providing for limited universal movement of said bearing with respect to said nut, and a second coned disc non-reciprocably carried by said bearing, said first coned disc and said second coned disc being provided with surfaces adapted to be interengaged to hold said second disc rigidly in coaxial facing relation with said first coned disc.

11. The combination with a shaft having a coned disc fixed thereon, of a unit comprising a screw, means mounting said screw in substantially coaxial relation with said shaft and holding said screw against axial movement while permitting rotation thereof, a nut threadedly mounted on said screw, a second coned disc, means providing an operative connection between said nut and said second disc, whereby relative axial movement of said nut and disc is prevented, and stop means mounted on said screw and cooperable with said nut to limit the axial movement of the latter without jamming the threads thereof.

12. The combination with a shaft having a coned disc fixed thereon, of a unit comprising a screw, means mounting said screw in substantially coaxial relation with said shaft and holding said screw against axial movement while permitting rotation thereof, a nut threadedly mounted on said screw, a second coned disc, means, including two elements pivotally connected to said nut, to said disc, and to each other upon coplanar perpendicular axes, providing an operative connection, between said nut and said second disc, whereby relative axial movement of said nut and disc is prevented but limited relative universal movement thereof is permitted, and stop-means mounted on said screw and cooperable with" said nut to limit the axial movement of the latter without jamming the threads thereof.

PAUL B. REEVES. 

